The Cape Codder: Letters to the Editor

Friday

Nov 10, 2017 at 3:01 AM

Letters policy

Letters must include the writer's name, daytime phone number (for the editor's contact purposes only) and address, and be no more than 300 words in length; letters without the required information will not be accepted, and those longer than the maximum allowed will be edited for length or not accepted. Letters that address local issues always get priority. Letter writers should not expect to have more than one letter published within a 30-day period. All letters are subject to editing. Deadline for submissions is 2 p.m. Tuesday. To submit, e-mail managing editor Donna Tunney at dtunney@wickedlocal.com

As always we are partnering in the turkey distribution with St. Vincent de Paul Society of St. Joan of Arc Church, Nauset Newcomers, Bird Watcher’s General Store and Cumberland Farms.

We anticipate providing turkeys to as many as 700 local households.

This is a great community tradition. Hope to see you on the 15th.

Larry Marsland, CEO Lower Cape Outreach Council

VOTE NO ON

PAINE'S CREEK

Up for vote at Brewster Town Meeting on Nov. 13 is the latest effort to shoehorn new beach parking into a residential neighborhood.

Notably, efforts to more than double the number of permitted parking spaces near Paine's Creek Beach would be subsidized by Brewster Conservation Trust (BCT).

In pushing this project, town/BCT officials cherry-pick phrases from the consensus-based Brewster Coastal Adaptation Strategy but ignore its central recommendation: "When developing significant coastal projects, engage in a pre-regulatory and pre-decisional public process as early as possible ... (including) constructive and exploratory discussion of project goals; exploration of a range of potential strategies, evaluation of options using the guiding principles, and collaboration to seek an approach that balances the priorities and tradeoffs."

Instead, town/BCT officials unilaterally decided to build a new parking lot, negotiated a deal outside public purview, and submitted a funding request to the Community Preservation Committee (CPC) in September, after the Paine’s Creek neighborhood had emptied out.

Subsidizing this with funds donated for habitat protection is betrayal, not trust.

Take the C and the T away from BCT, and what’s left? What's to stop Brewster’s political machine from imposing its will on your neighborhood, be it parking, housing, or something else?

Vote no on Article 8 and tell town/BCT officials to stand down before they kill the goose that lays the golden eggs: Engage citizens, explore alternatives, and develop projects that protect character and build community, rather than sow division.

Brewster seeks funding to buy a wetlands parcel on a rural, residential street from the Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts and turn it into beach parking. The compact is selling the land at a loss ($135,000) to accommodate the town and the recently adopted Coastal Strategy Report the town and taxpayers funded and adopted.

We oppose the purchase primarily for three reasons. First, the primary recommendations of the now ignored strategy, were to engage taxpayers from at the pre-decision stage and to not build parking lots in residential neighborhoods.

The town’s only meeting on this article will occur four days before the vote and after many town committees have reviewed the project. It is unclear why the compact, on behalf of Brewster Conservation Trust, is willing to incur a loss and sell wetlands to put up a parking lot from which the town will run a beach shuttle (cue Joni Mitchell).

Second, there are far too many unanswered questions about the project for voters to make an informed decision such as the total number of parking spaces, the cost of the project, and what restrictions BCT will be able to put on the property.

And lastly, the town is steam rolling this project at this time of year despite hatching it years ago and without exploring alternatives, such as the business-zoned vacant lot just down the road (across from Kate's), which the town purchased for $1,000,000 and which remains unused save for informal beach parking, which the town now permits. The town could use this space for no additional cost. For these reasons, we urge all to vote no on Article 8.

Molly and Michael Sharon Brewster

Editor's Note: Mark Robinson, executive director of the Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts clarified the organization’s position regarding the Paines Creek parcel: “The compact often serves as a pre-acquisition partner, acquiring a parcel desired by the local land trust for open space and holding it off the market while its eventual ownership is determined. Sometimes it is to enable a fundraising campaign to begin or continue.

“In this case at Paine's Creek Road, it was because there was interest by the town and BCT to work together on the use of the property for conservation, access and parking for the BCT parcel to the rear, and the potential to assist in [the] town’s coastal access planning.

“The compact is not taking a loss. The proposed sale to the town at $195,000 would provide part of the reimbursement, the remainder of the cash will come from BCT for its continuing property interest in the parcel (in the form of a conservation restriction and easement).”

ORLEANS ON A

SPENDING SPREE

Orleans is on a historic spending spree funding major public infrastructure that will have a serious impact on the future property tax rate resulting in real financial hardship for low- and fixed-income homeowners.

According to the town's finance director, bond debt will increase from $29 million today to $111 million by 2024 -- a frightening tax load for a small rural town to carry with the oldest population of all 351 towns and cities in the Commonwealth.

From 2001 to 2010, Orleans lost 7 percent of its population and not surprisingly 50 percent of homeowners are now non-residents.

The property tax is an ancient tool of feudal governance that causes desperate choices to be made among those less fortunate.

Local shoppers--paying a property tax rate of 57.20 per $1,000 of assessed valuation -- and more -- will be more inclined to spend their free cash in e-commerce. So much for Main Street retailers.

It is clear that town government is now spending beyond its means, placing an undue tax burden on these non-residents who have no right to vote at town meeting.

The sad consequence of these economic forces at play is forcing young families to continue the trend of moving out of town.

The "newcomer" retirees know not what harm they have done to this old Cape town.